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Jean CHAUVENET. Under the stewardship of Christophe
Drage, Chauvenet’s son-in-law, the wines here continue to get more exciting with each passing vintage. Regarding the 2001s,
Drage said that he had little need for triage – with short pruning and a green harvest, most of the work was done, and where
there was a problem of maturity of the grapes, he simply didn’t take them. The village Nuits is round, beefy
and spicy with blackberry aromas. In the mouth, the wine is chewy with deep blackberry fruit and a nice equilibrium. (85-88)
The Nuits-Aux Argillas is from 10-year old vines. There is a slight reduction and coffee aromas in the nose.
On the palate, the wine shows good density and concentration without being heavy or over-powering. This wine shows the earthy,
stony side of Nuits. (85-88) The Nuits-Damodes is a step up in quality. It shows spicy blackberry, raspberry,
and red currant aromas. In the mouth, the wine is denser but less chewy and more sophisticated with slightly powdered blackberry
fruit and good length. (88-91) The Nuits-Bousselots shows sharper blackberry fruit in the nose, and is round
and dense with black plum and cassis flavors and more tannin than the Damodes on the finish. (87-90) Chauvenet's Nuits-Rue
de Chaux is from vines planted in 1936. The nose is pure cassis leaf. In the mouth, the wine is denser than any
of the previous with plenty of cassis fruit slowly oozing forth in the mouth. It is a touch rustic in the good, Nuits-St-Georges
sense with plenty of length. (In 2001, the Rue de Chaux was fermented at low temperatures – the grapes came in at 9ºC and
the maximum fermentation temperature was 27-28ºC.) (88-91) From one of my favorite Nuits vineyards, the Nuits-Perrières
is lighter and livelier in the nose with red currant and blackberry fruit. In the mouth, the wine has a beautiful purity,
and al-though not as dense as the others, has beautifully defined blackberry and red currant fruit with fine overall balance.
(90-93) Finally, the Nuits-Vaucrains is from vines planted in 1946 and 1963. It is much denser and deeper in
the nose – just short of jammy in its blackberry and cassis fruit. On the palate, the wine is very dense, long, and pure
with stony blueberry and blackberry fruit and a long finish. A wine not to miss. (92-95)
Robert CHEVILLON.
Chevillon fans, be forewarned – the 2001s here are great, close to the level of the 1999s and the 1993s. The Bourgogne
is lovely with pure cassis and cherry fruit and a lively acidity. (85-88) The Nuits is slightly redder in its
fruit with a little smoke; not quite as welcoming yet, it will develop with time. (86-89) The Nuits-Bousselots
has an almost Vosne-like oriental spice in the nose. In the mouth, the wine is still tannic, but the same Vosne-like spice
and the fruit come through. (87-90) The Nuits-Chaignots is less tannic and more elegant, with excellent length
and still with some spice to the fruit. (88-91) There is a big jump in quality to the Nuits-Perrières. The
fruit is stony and racy and tends toward the red spectrum. Lovely, long finish. (91-94) The Nuits-Roncières
is bigger and darker in the fruit in the nose. In the mouth, the wine is round and juicy with deep mulberry, blueberry, and
blackberry fruit. (91-94) The nose of the Nuits-Pruliers is deep, pure and dense with preserved plum fruit.
In the mouth, the wine is dense and round with pure spice plum flavors. (92-95) We now enter the realm of Nuits’s greatest
vineyards and very old vines. The Nuits-Cailles comes from 76-year old vines. It is pure, linear and hard
with deep cassis fruit and a graphite finish. Expect to wait a minimum of 10-12 years for this wine. (91-95) The Nuits-Les
St-Georges has broad red fruit aromas, followed in the mouth by deep, generous spiced red currant flavors. (92-96)
Finally, the stunning Nuits-Vaucrains shows great complexity to the truffly, spiced black-berry, blueberry,
and mulberry aromas. In the mouth, the wine is dense, deep, and racy from the very old vines with spiced blackberry and blueberry
flavors of fabulous length. (93-96)
Bruno CLAVELIER. This is one of the future star names of the Côte
d’Or, as I’ve previously stated, and the wines look very good here for 2001. We begin with Clavelier’s Aligoté
from vines that are almost 70-years old. The wine is mineral in the nose and shows pear flavors, making it a good wine for
current drinking as an aperitif or with a simple meal. (86/A-) The Chardonnay “Les Glapigny”, a vin de table,
has stony, mineral aromas and moderate depth on the palate to its apple fruit. (85/B+) Beginning with the first of several
village wines, the Vosne, Combe Brûlée, west of the Brulées, has lovely, pure, lively cherry fruit and shows
greater precision and more body than I usually find in this wine. (86-90) The Vosne, Hauts Beaux Monts, above
the premier cru Beaux Monts from extremely shallow soils and facing fully south, is stonier and more austere in the
nose. In the mouth, it has red fruit, minerality, some flesh, but also plenty of nervosity. (87-91) The Vosne, Hautes
Maizières, below Suchots, is riper and rounder, and more complete. There is some nervosity here, too. I prefer the
austerity of the previous wine, though. (85-89) The final village wine is the Vosne, La Montagne. The wine
is stony and mineral in the nose and has fine, pure red currant fruit. It needs time to fill out. (86-90) Recently racked,
the Gevrey-Corbeaux is lively and pure with stony red fruits. (89-92) The Vosne-Brulées is beautifully
expressive in its deep, lively red fruits of great purity and definition. (90-93) The Chambolle-Combe d’Orveau,
from the premier cru portion of the vineyard which is next to Musigny is deep, dense, and closed with nervy, spicy,
dark fruit and a Musigny-like power-finesse combination. This truly is a mini-Musigny. (92-96) The Vosne-Beaux Monts
Hauts is perfumed red fruit aromas and also some stoniness. In the mouth, the wine is ample and rich with superb
cherry and raspberry fruit. (91-95) Clavelier's Nuits-Cras stands out even in this crowd for the purity of its
red currant aromas and flavors and has a nice roundness to it. The wine may drink well relatively young. (91-94)
Jean-Jacques
CONFURON. Alain Meunier, who makes the wine here, said that the 2001 vintage was characterized by its heterogeneity
of ripeness, but that the grapes were healthy. The grapes came in at 11-12.5º alcohol and he chaptalized at least 1.5º.
Malos finished in June here. As we have come to expect, this is an outstanding collection of wines, fully worth your interest.
The Côtes de Nuits-Villages, Vignottes shows violet aromas and a smooth texture, pure violet and dark fruit
flavors, a medium-weight body, and round tannins. I normally am not a fan of Côte de Nuits-Villages, but this is one to watch
for. (87-90) The lovely village Nuits, Fleurières has round dark fruit aromas, followed in the mouth by blueberry
and violet flavors that are deep and pure, and a smooth texture. (87-91) The Chambolle has complex violet aromas,
a smooth and delicate body with harmonious violet flavors and good length. (87-90) Turning to the premiers crus, the Vosne-Beaux
Monts is smooth with red and dark plum fruit and some coffee, and tannins on the back palate, but not aggressive.
(89-92) The Chambolle 1er Cru (a mixture of 2/3 Châtelots and 1/3 Feusselottes – along with the Romanée St-Vivant,
the oldest vines in the domaine) shows a smooth texture with chocolate and dark fruit flavors and aromas, purity, and good
Chambolle definition. The wine is long and has great finesse. (90-93) The Nuits-Chaboeufs has a meaty nose,
followed by pure, linear dark fruits with some finesse, great length, and some tannin. (90-93) Confuron’s Nuits-Boudots
is bigger and rounder with some Vosne voluptuousness and Nuits tannins. The fruits are dark and pure, and there is great
potential here. (91-95) The Clos-Vougeot is deep and pure with black raspberry fruit, elegance, and nervosity.
(92-96) Finally, the Romanée-St-Vivant, of which there are 8½ barrels(255 cases), has a fabulous perfumed nose
with great depth to its black and red fruits, a gorgeous, silky texture and harmonious black and red fruit flavors with some
truffle. (94-97)
CONFURON-COTEDITOT. Yves Cotéditot has been doing such a great job with the wines at
de Courcel that I just had to visit here, even though I never see the wines in the Bay Area. He began the harvest here on
the 22 September, and he harvested under good weather and with no botrytis. As always, there was a triage in the vineyard.
As these wines show, it was an excellent year here, too. The village Vosne has a perfumed nose, and spiced
cherry flavors with some tannin. (85-88) The Chambolle shows a truffly nose and in the mouth is lighter and
more acidic, lively and pure than the Vosne, with black fruit flavors and a hint of truffle. (86-89) The Gevrey,
from the Champs-Cheny lieu-dit just below Charmes-Chambertin, has typical Gevrey savage strawberry aromas. In the
mouth, the wine shows good grip and concentration with wild red currant fruit, depth, and length. (87-90) The Nuits,
from the Bas de Combe lieu-dit, just below Boudots and bordering Vosne, shows oriental spice aromas, and a round pure,
spicy mouth with long black and red fruits. (88-92) Turning to the premiers crus, the Gevrey-Craipillot
is very aromatic with spicy red currant aromas. In the mouth, the wine is nervy with stony, spicy red currant flavors and
good length. (90-93) The Gevrey-Petite Chapelle is nervy and more size and acidity than the Craipillot, and
also somewhat chewy, with wild strawberry fruit. (90-93) Confuron’s Gevrey-Lavaux St-Jacques shows mineral black
fruit and licorice aromas. In the mouth, the wine is racy, min-eral, and deep – a classic Lavaux. (90-94) The Vosne-Suchots
is tender, round, and smooth with great finesse and long red cherry fruit. Some tannin will help for aging capacity. (90-94)
The Nuits 1er Cru is from 80-year old vines in Vignes Rondes and Murgers. It is round and chewy with black
licorice over-tones. This is Vosne-like Nuits with spice and elegance to it. (89-92) The Echézeaux is round
and ripe, but lacks a bit of depth to the attractive black fruits. (88-91) The Clos-Vougeot has a powdered nose.
In the mouth, the wine is round, ripe, and pure, less powerful than some Clos-Vougeots, but with a nice presentation to the
black raspberry fruit and a long finish. (89-92)
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